Buy or Build?

while servers may seem scary, they are really just purpose built desktops with slightly different hardware. as such, the case for building entry level home servers is much stronger than buying enterprise hardware for your first foray into the server world.

i always advocate for first time users to build, because the familiarity with the hardware is a great starting point for understanding. there may be many things about servers you are unfamiliar with, but at the very least, you will have a grasp of the core components that make things work.

the main benefits to building your own server is upgrade paths. enterprise hardware reminds me more of laptops than desktops in terms of their ease of upgrade. if you are trying to do anything except add a pcie card to a server, things are kind of a pain. the benefit is many enterprise servers are already heavily spec’d to do just about everything. however, if your use-case determines your server isn’t capable of something you need, there is a chance you will have to go without that functionality or you will have to replace the entire server.

hand built servers suffer none of these issues. because they are desktop components, they are easily sourced, interoperable, and have widely available drivers. individual parts are generally cheaper and the ease of working inside of a tower and not a 2U chassis cant be overstated. for anyone who hasnt been in the same room with a Dell R720, those things are hot, loud, and suck down electricity like a camel drinks water in the desert. they are very unpleasant machines suited only for basements and garages. and for people who don’t care about their electricity bill. my hand-built server however? sips less than 100W of power, doesn’t heat the room in the summer, and is so quiet i have to listen closely to even tell that its on.

the downside to all of this ease is that it costs more money up front to build something of your own. ebay is full of used enterprise equipment for $300 or less. building something yourself will cost 1.5X that amount at minimum and wont come with convenient features like iDRAC or hot-swappable hard drives. you will pay for that with electricity bills, making home built servers cheaper to own in the long run.

in the end, since you are managing it, get the server you want. i would recommend for those who have never owned one however, to build something out of older desktop parts for piece of mind. your life will be so much less complicated, and later on, if you want to go full-on enterprise, eBay is never more than a click away.